


Date Night

by littlebirdtoldme



Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-30
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-11 02:58:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2050998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlebirdtoldme/pseuds/littlebirdtoldme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake decides that Cassie needs some time to relax, so takes her by surprise one evening. Written as a birthday present for JustAnotherGhostWriter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Date Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JustAnotherGhostwriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherGhostwriter/gifts).



Cassie sighed as she threw her bag down on the floor, falling backwards onto her bed. Her day had hardly been a perfect one: her discarded bag was full of homework. Throwing her arms over her head, she groaned. She was _never_ going to have time for all this, not with all the animals in the barn at the moment.

Oh yeah. Medicine time.

Rolling reluctantly off her bed, Cassie trudged back down the stairs and out towards the barn, grabbing the box of tablets and medicines from the cabinet on her way out. As she navigated the overgrown pathway to the barn, she found her negativity being replaces with a warm smile. The animals always had this effect on her, especially since that fateful night where they met Elfangor...

Pushing open the door of the barn, the familiar noises and sights (and smells) of the animal world greeted her. She set down her box and looked around, quickly prioritising before setting to work. Changing the dressing on a raccoon’s bite wound. Giving a hawk a shot of antibiotics. Shuddering at the thought of Tobias. Coaxing an unwilling fox to swallow its pills.

It was a soothing thing to do, caring for the animals. It made Cassie feel like she could still, even after all that had happened, do some good. She knew she was fighting a war, and the prize was their lives and the freedom of the human race, but that didn’t stop the moral battle raging inside her every time they had to “kick some Yeerk butt”, as her friends put it.

She closed her eyes and leant against the freezer, taking a moment to just... relax. As she took a few deep breaths, she flinched as something small hit the side of her head.

“What the...?” she muttered. As long as it wasn’t the Helmacrons: she’d had more than enough of those irritating little creatures. She looked around her for the source of it – and spotted a small piece of paper screwed up on the ground. She frowned, confused. Okay, so she wasn’t the neatest of people, but she wouldn’t be so careless as to leave paper lying around the barn.

She squatted down beside the paper and picked it up, carefully unfolding it and smoothing out the creases.

_Follow the pretty birdie._

Frowning, she turned it over. Nothing. Just those four words. Could this be some kind of trick? Was it –?

A strange, almost squeaking noise came from above her. Cassie’s head snapped up, and she gasped. Perched on the rafters above her was a beautiful quetzal.

“Jake?” she grinned. She could tell it was him. She always could, regardless what body he wore. “When did you get _that_ morph?”

<Uh, the Gardens,> Jake replied, shaking his long, elegant tail feathers. <Is it too much?>

Cassie laughed as she stood up straight, stretching out her back. “You look stunning. That green suits you,” she teased lightly. “So, you’re the pretty birdie I’ve got to follow, huh? Where are we going?”

<Um, it’s a surprise,> he said evasively. <Follow me and I’ll show you.>

Cassie was curious, and trusted Jake. Knowing her parents would not be home for some time, she pulled the door open, letting the quetzal fly out, before following him out and locking the door.

She grinned at Jake. “Lead the way then,” she said, wondering what was going on.

Jake took off, his iridescent wings leading a bright trail towards the woods. Cassie smiled to herself. He was an odd boy, her Jake. Not that she would have him any other way.

Jake flitted from tree to tree, tail feathers trailing behind him. Cassie, on the other hand, had to clamber through bushes and over logs, around nettles and duck under branches.

“Jake, this better be worth – oh!”

Cassie stopped dead in her tracks. She had emerged in a small clearing – and it really was small, only around ten metres or so in diameter – to see a beautiful little secluded spot.  Ringed tightly with trees, smooth bright grass lined the floor. The trees leant inwards, casting a mottled design of shadow and light on the ground. Patches of brightly coloured flowers were scattered around the area, and right in the centre was a blanket, laid out neatly, with a basket – a picnic basket – to the side.

She turned, mouth open wide, to Jake, who had been demorphing while she admired the spot.

“Jake... What is all this?” she asked in amazement. She had never seen Jake as the romantic type, and as far as she knew this wasn’t a special occasion...

Jake walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. “I just... Thought you could use a little time away from it all,” he said quietly, almost mumbling. “Away from the war and school and just... everything, really. I know you’ve been pretty stressed, so I wanted to help you relax.” He frowned. “Is this okay?”

Cassie flung her arms around his neck, surprising Jake and causing him to stumble backwards. He laughed at her reaction. “I’ll take that as a yes?” He said, smiling and kissing her forehead.

She leant into his chest, eyes closed. “Of course. It’s perfect!”

After a moment, she pulled away and smiled up at him. Sitting on the blanket, she patted the spot beside her, and Jake came over, slightly awkwardly, and took his place next to her.

“You okay?” she asked him.

“Yeah, I just... Yeah, romance isn’t really my strong point.” He laughed uncertainly before leaning back on his arms, almost lying down.

Cassie shook her head and gave a half smile. “For someone who isn’t so good at romance, you’ve sure pulled this off well,” she said, lying beside him on her side. She studied his face. Over the past... 18 months? couple of years? since they began this war, he had changed so much. They all had, but it was most noticeable in Jake. Of course, he had changed physically – his voice had deepened, he had filled out his lankiness – but there was a hardness in his jaw that had come from the terrible decisions he had been forced to make. Not for the first time, Cassie felt a pang of guilt at the fact Jake had to make these choices on their behalf. At the same time, she was selfishly grateful that the responsibility didn’t fall to her.

Jake turned his head towards her, and Cassie suddenly felt incredibly aware of how close he was, and felt her heart and breathing quicken. He smiled at her, and swallowed.

“Are you nervous or something?” She asked. “You don’t have anything to be nervous about – it’s just me.” She smiled warmly, and reached out to link her fingers with his. They just seemed to fit, so perfectly. Not that she would admit this out loud, but it was a comforting memory to hold on to when things got tough.

“Nah. I’m not nervous.” Jake smiled tentatively back. Cassie rolled her eyes at him.

“Okay, well maybe a little,” Jake confessed, a half smile turning up the corner of his mouth. “I was thinking. I want to spend more time with you. Like, time when we’re not busting into a Yeerk facility and going into battle mode.” He laughed lightly, and Cassie smiled again. He couldn’t kid her: she knew this war was taking its toll. But she respected him... _Loved_ him... For the way he dealt with the heaviness of the conflict.

“I was thinking,” Jake continued. “We should have like... A date night. One night a week, just for us... Away from the war and the Yeerks and being Animorphs... A night just to be us.” He met her gaze, his eyes intense and hopeful and tentative. Cassie swallowed. His eyes always got her.

“I... Yeah, that sounds like a cool idea,” Cassie replied quietly, her smile growing and reaching her own eyes. “Yes. Let’s do that. I’d like that... I’d like it a lot.”

Jake stretched out an arm, and Cassie shuffled closer. Resting her head on Jake’s chest, she felt his arm wrap protectively around her back.

He sighed, his breath tickling her scalp. “I just wish I knew how to keep you safe all the time. I don’t want to lose you, Cass.”

She twisted her head up and kissed his jaw lightly. “You won’t. I’m always gonna be here. You can’t get rid of me that easily,” she joked.

Jake rested his other arm across his girlfriend’s shoulders. “I wouldn’t want to. Believe me.”

Cassie closed her eyes, willing to just lie as she was forever. “I... I love you, Jake.”

She heard his breath catch, and looked back at his face to see him looking at her, eyes creased in a smile.

She rested her head back on his chest, and the pair lay there in their perfect and safe little space, the picnic basket to the side and ignored. Wrapped in each other’s arms, they were content to remain there, away from the war, apart from real life, simply remaining in the company of the person they most relied upon.

“I love you too, Cassie.”


End file.
